Danny Trejo claims the punches he threw at a recent Fourth of July parade were in retaliation for a “targeted” attack on him and his friends because they are of Mexican descent.
“I just think it’s sad that there are still people from the ’50s and ’60s who still feel that way,” the “Machete” star told TMZ on Friday, “because no one else was targeted.”
His friend, who was present at the fistfight, confirmed the claim that they were targeted because of their ethnicity, pointing out that no one else in front of or behind them was hit.
Trejo and his friends were celebrating Independence Day in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood of Los Angeles on Thursday when a fellow parade worker threw a water balloon at his lowrider convertible.
The “From Dusk Till Dawn” actor said he got out of his car because he heard someone yelling, “It’s acid!” and that he feared there was serious damage to his vehicle.
He told TMZ that when he went to look at the hood, someone hit him with a water balloon and a physical fight ensued.
“I’m so sad,” Trejo added. “I’m sad that I acted the way I acted. I’m so sad that grown men have to throw water balloons to enjoy a day.”
The “Desperado” actor said he panicked because he thought acid had been poured on his classic vehicle.
His buddy then showed off the bruises on his arms from the fight, and stated that the attackers allegedly “stomped on him.” [his] weapons” and “hold [him] down.”
Trejo, in turn, said he was “fine,” adding, “They couldn’t do anything to me.”
The 80-year-old then joked that the men he fought should be ashamed of themselves for attacking someone his age.
The ‘Bad Ass’ star concluded: ‘I would be ashamed if I attacked an 80-year-old man and he was still talking and laughing.’